Cassoulet From Cans, a One-Pot Wonder for New Year’s Day

I CUT DAYS OF WORK off the prep. My version takes lots of shortcuts. The traditional approach takes three days, so I devised a way to wiggle out of most of the work.

And, trust me, it’s delicious.

Leave it to the French to elevate a simple bean casserole into a gastronomic masterpiece replete with goose, pork and lamb. No wonder cassoulet, this ennobled one-pot bean dish, is one of France’s favorite bistro delicacies. The aromas whip sleepy wintertime olfactories into a frenzy as bubbling bean juices jockey around the tasty meat.

For years I’ve prepared a giant cassoulet for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Day. It’s a sanity saver because it can be made a couple of days ahead of time, refrigerated, then reheated for serving.

So I don’t spend hours transforming goose into a ready-for-the-cassoulet confit (an ancient method of preserving poultry by salting and slow-cooking it). Nor do I braise chunks of lamb until they’re fall-apart tender. No pig’s feet or ham hocks, either.